Purpose This study aims to understand if and how European digital innovation hubs (DIHs) filling the role of knowledge brokers (KBs) can support the digital transformation (DX) of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by triggering open innovation (OI) practices. Design/methodology/approach After presenting a conceptual model of reference, a survey and a subsequent in-depth interview were conducted to capture evidence from Italian DIHs. These structures were selected for their growing importance, as confirmed by the National Plan for Industry 4.0. Findings The findings highlight that Italian DIHs act not only as KBs but also as knowledge sources that give rise to a digital imprinting process that is able to shape the DX of SMEs. Originality/value Research on knowledge sharing and OI has mainly focused on large firms. The study covers the gaps identified in the literature by considering the role of KBs in enabling SMEs to embrace DX.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how knowledge sharing influences technological innovation capability (TIC) of the software small- and medium-sized enterprises (SSMEs). Design/methodology/approach Based on the theories regarding knowledge management, TIC, software engineering and open innovation, this paper constructed a research model comprising factors affecting knowledge sharing, knowledge sharing and TIC, and then tested the model quantitatively. The study focuses on SSMEs in China collecting 457 online questionnaires and uses a structural equation model to test the hypotheses. Findings The knowledge sharing culture, organizational structure, middle-level leadership and management system have significantly positive effects on tacit knowledge sharing; management system and IT support have significantly positive effects on explicit knowledge sharing; both explicit and tacit knowledge sharing have significantly positive effects on TIC. Research limitations/implications The study enriches the research on knowledge sharing and TIC. However, it does not consider factors affecting knowledge sharing at the non-organizational level or the interaction between explicit and tacit knowledge sharing. Practical implications The study offers several recommendations/suggestions for helping SSMEs to promote and implement explicit or tacit knowledge sharing and TIC. Originality/value This paper examines the impact of knowledge sharing on TIC from the perspective of knowledge management deconstructing knowledge sharing from the epistemological dimension and the TIC of software companies on the basis of software engineering theory. It provided a new theoretical perspective for the research of knowledge management and technological innovation management in SSMEs.

PurposeThe present paper aims to explore and map the development of the intellectual capital (IC)-related studies by answering the following research questions: (1) what are the theoretical pillars on which prior literature focusing on the IC–entrepreneurship relationship has grown and expanded?; (2) what are the main research areas covered by past literature focused on the IC–entrepreneurship relationship?; (3) which areas of research should be explored in the future?Design/methodology/approachThe study relied on the co-citation analysis and bibliographic coupling techniques to investigate a complete data set of IC–entrepreneurship publications.FindingsFindings indicated that scholars' attention had increased, starting from the beginning of the 2000s due to the widespread recognition of the importance of knowledge for firms' competitive advantage. Results of the co-citation clustering analysis have identified five main theoretical building blocks of the IC–entrepreneurship literature, which addressed both the basics of IC foundations and more specific aspects related to IC (family firms and the measurement of IC). Results of the bibliographic coupling analysis indicated that future studies should consider the existence of interactions and synergies among the different components of IC. Furthermore, attention should be devoted to the management practices of IC.Originality/valueThe present study represents the contributions offered by IC to studies about entrepreneurship strategies. Building on findings emerging from a qualitative content analysis on clustered prior publications, the authors discuss a research agenda that is expected to inspire future studies to continue the exploration of the crucial characteristics of IC in contributing to entrepreneurial and managerial studies.

Purpose This study aims to understand how open innovation (OI) environments can help organizations in implementing knowledge sharing (KS) practices defusing KS barriers. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth case study analysis on the strategic technology and innovation management (STIM) consortium at the Institute of Manufacturing of the University of Cambridge was performed during the 2019 and 2020 STIM program editions. To analyze data, this paper used the interpretive structural model on a sample of 20 managers participating in the STIM consortium, and this paper carried out an exploratory in-depth case study analysis to validate the results. Findings The findings shed light on the role of OI environments in defusing KS barriers in the process of inter-organizational KS. Originality/value Notwithstanding the importance of KS practices among organizations, only a few studies have recognized and investigated the role played by OI arrangements in enhancing KS practices.

Social innovation and social entrepreneurship usually follow a bottom‐up pattern. Companies and entrepreneurs decide to focus their business effort on meeting critical and urgent social needs. However, what happens when institutions promote or push top‐down initiatives? The outbreak of COVID‐19 is redefining, for many aspects, entrepreneurial dynamics. By creating a critical shortage of resources and medical supplies, the pandemic drew central and local institutions to push companies to cover the increasing social and medical needs. This study explores how companies reacted to top‐down‐initiated social innovation and social entrepreneurship activities. In doing so, the study focuses on the first heavily hit country, China, and it collects data from companies involved in the production of medical masks and the provision of solutions for nucleic acid tests. Our findings reveal that companies answer to top‐down pushes by implementing two main strategies in a time of crisis. First, the social bricolage by exploiting available and local resources. Second, companies react with agility by re‐thinking their internal innovation, relying on past similar experiences, and making their resource fluid. Our study adds the literature regarding social innovation and entrepreneurship in a crisis time by providing implications for institutions and organizations in setting and responding to strategies for future crises.

The results of absolute satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) are presented in the current study. A comparative analysis was conducted on empirical methods in order to explore the potential of SDB in shallow water on the coast of Misano, Italy. Operations were carried out by relying on limited in situ water depth data to extract and calibrate bathymetry from a QuickBird satellite image acquired on a highly dynamic coastal environment. The image was processed using the log-band ratio and optimal band ratio analysis (OBRA) methods. Preprocessing steps included the conversion of the raw satellite image into top of atmosphere reflectance, spatial filtering, land and water classification, the determination of the optimal OBRA spectral band pairs, and the estimation of relative SDB. Furthermore, calibration and vertical referencing were performed via in situ bathymetry acquired in November 2007. The relative bathymetry obtained from different band ratios were vertically referenced to the local datum using in situ water depth in order to obtain absolute SDB. The coefficient of determination (R2) and vertical root mean square error (RMSE) were computed for each method. A strong correlation with in situ field bathymetry was observed for both methods, with R2 = 0.8682 and RMSE = 0.518 m for the log-band ratio method and R2 = 0.8927–0.9108 and RMSE = 0.35 m for the OBRA method. This indicated a high degree of confidence of the SDB results obtained for the study area, with a high performance of the OBRA method for SDB mapping in turbid water.

The Causse of El Hajeb belongs to the Tabular Middle Atlas (TMA), in which thousands of karst landforms have been identified. Among them, collapse dolines and dissolution sinkholes have been highlighted as a source of environmental risks and geo-hazards. In particular, such sinkholes have been linked to the degradation of water quality in water springs located in the junction of the TMA and Saïss basin. Furthermore, the developments of collapse dolines in agricultural and inhabited areas enhance the risk of life loss, injury, and property damage. Here, the lack of research on newly formed cavities has exacerbated the situation. The limited studies using remote sensing or geophysical methods to determine the degree of karstification and vulnerability of this environment fail to provide the spatial extent and depth location of individual karst cavities. In order to contribute to the effort of sinkhole risk reduction in TMA, we employed remote sensing and geophysical surveys to integrate electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and self-potential (SP) for subsurface characterization of four sinkholes identified in the Causse of El Hajeb. The results revealed the existence of sinkholes, both visible and non-accessible at the surface, in carbonate rocks. The sinkholes exhibited distinct morphologies, with depths reaching 35 m. Topography, geographic coordinates and land cover information extracted on remote sensing data demonstrated that these cavities were developed in depressions in which agricultural activities are regularly performed. The fusion of these methods benefits from remote sensing in geophysical surveys, particularly in acquisition, georeferencing, processing and interpretation of geophysical data. Furthermore, our proposed method allows identification of the protection perimeter required to minimize the risks posed by sinkholes.

Within an E.U.-funded project, BESS (Pocket Beach Management and Remote Surveillance System), the notion of a geographic information system is an indispensable tool for managing the dynamics of georeferenced data and information for any form of territorial planning. This notion was further explored with the creation of a WebGIS portal that will allow local and regional stakeholders/authorities obtain an easy remote access tool to monitor the status of pocket beaches (PB) in the Maltese Archipelago and Sicily. In this paper, we provide a methodological approach for the implementation of a WebGIS necessary for very detailed dynamic mapping and visualization of geospatial coastal data; the description of the dataset necessary for the monitoring of coastal areas, especially the PBs; and a demonstration of a case study for the PBs of Sicily and Malta by using the methodology and the dataset used during the BESS project. Detailed steps involved in the creation of the WebGIS are presented. These include data preparation, data storage, and data publication and transformation into geo-services. With the help of different Open Geospatial Consortium protocols, the WebGIS displays different layers of information for 134 PBs including orthophotos, sedimentological/geomorphological beach characteristics, shoreline evolution, geometric and morphological parameters, shallow water bathymetry, and photographs of pocket beaches. The WebGIS allows not only for identifying, evaluating, and directing potential solutions to present and arising issues, but also enables public access and involvement. It reflects a platform for future local and regional coastal zone monitoring and management, by promoting public/private involvement in addressing coastal issues and providing local public administrations with an improved technology to monitor coastal changes and help better plan suitable interventions.